Loth
King Loth is the King of Lothian and father of Gawain in many Arthurian tales. In the romances, Loth is usually called “King of Orcanie” but is often “King of Lothian and Orcanie”. In some accounts Loth is (or becomes) King of Norway. In the pseudo-historical chronicle, King Loth reigns for all or most of King Arthur’s reign, but in the romances he is some times said to be dead at the time of the story. In the Post-Vulgate accounts King Loth was killed early in Arthur’s reign by King Pellinor, for which Gawain, King Loth’s son, kills King Pellinor. In some acconts Mordred is King Loth’s son, and in some accounts, King Arthur’s son. Gawain’s other brothers and most of his supposed sisters are also said to be King Loth’s children. King Loth may, in origin, be identical to King Leudon. In the Pseudo-Historical Works King Loth as King Uther’s Commander King Loth is first mentioned in surviving works in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae as King of Lothian and a deputy of Uther Pendragon in the last years of Uther’s reign. When King Uther falls ill, he puts his army under King Loth’s command. Geoffrey says (as translated by Lewis Thorpe): This man was one of the leaders, a valiant soldier, mature both in wisdom and age. Accordingly Uther gives to King Loth his daughter Anna as wife. (But according to a later statement King Loth’s wife was the sister of Aurelius Ambrosius and the marriage occurred during Aurelius’ reign.) However King Loth battles the Saxons without great success, in part because he does not have full support of the arrogant Britons. Eventually, though ill, King Uther calls the British leaders before him, sharply rebukes them, and says he will lead them against the Saxons himself, riding in a horse litter. King Arthur’s Court at York When King Arthur has thoroughly defeated the Saxons, he holds a court at York. In York, King Loth was dwelling, along with his brothers King Urien of Murief and King Angusel of Albany. The Welsh Brut''s named the three brothers as Lleu of Lodoneis, Urien of Rheged, and Aron of Yscotland and says that all three were the sons of Cynfarch. Cynfarch appears in earlier texts as the name of Urien’s father. In Sir Thomas Gray’s ''Scalacronica, the three brothers are said be sons of Kahu. The three brothers have been driven from their hereditary lands by the Saxons. Arthur restores their lands to them. The Conquest of Norway After dwelling in peace for twelve years, Arthur begins his conquests again, starting with a conquest of Norway which he wishes to bestow on King Loth. For King Loth of Lothian was the nephew of the previous King of Norway, Sichelm, who had just died and left his kingdom to Loth in his will. But the Norwegians have instead made one Riculf their king. Arthur lands in Norway, battles the forces of Riculf, kills Riculf, and violently subdues all of Norway, as well as Dacia (Denmark). Then Arthur makes Loth king of Norway. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Gawain, King Loth’s son, was then twelve years old, then serving Pope Sulpicius in Rome. But Wace’s Brut tells that Gawain came from Rome at that time and took part in the conquest of Norway. Lawman has Gawain come to his father’s coronation in Norway just before Arthur turns his attention to Denmark. The Roman War King Loth of Norway is one of those who attends King Arthur’s great feast at Caerleon. In the English Alliterative Morte d’Arthur, King Loth is one of the knights who makes vows of the deeds he will do in the war with the Romans. King Loth vows that when he sees the Romans before him, on behalf of the Round Table, he will ride through the Roman ranks and leave a clear path behind him for his troops to follow. In King Arthur’s final battle with the Romans, King Aschil of the Danes and King Loth of the Norwegians lead the third division of Arthur’s troops. In the English Alliterative Morte d’Arthur, King Loth fulfills worshiply fulfils the vow that he had made. In the Final Battle No mention is made of King Loth’s death in most texts, but when listing the dead in King Arthur’s final battle with Mordred, Geoffrey of Monmouth mentions Odbrict, King of Norway, instead of King Loth. In the English Alliterative Morte d’Arthur, King Loth is one of the knights whom the mortally wounded King Arthur finds dead on the field after Arthur’s last battle against Mordred. An Alternative Account in the ''Didot Perceval In the “Mort d’Artu” section of the Didot Perceval, King Loth is given the activities normally assigned to King Angusel in the chronicles. King Angusel does not appear in the Didot Perceval. A counterpart of the speeches against the Romans which Geoffrey of Monmouth gives to King Howel and King Angusel, the Didot Perceval gives to King Loth. In the main battle, it is King Loth who kills the King of Spain. King Loth also grieves, along with Gawain, when he hears of the treachery of his son Mordred. King Loth also grieves when his son Gawain is slain in the landing. King Loth is killed when leaving the ship when a foeman hits him in the chest with a crossbow bolt. Normally it is King Angusel who is killed in the landing. Some Name Variations FRENCH: Loth, Los, Lot, Loz; LATIN: Loth; 'ENGLISH:'' Loth, Lot, Loð, -e, Lott, Loððe, Lote, Lottes, Lottez, Lothe, Looth, Loot, Lothes, Lothis; MALORY: Lot, Lott, Lotte, Lots, Lotts; GERMAN: Lôt, Los; SPANISH: Lot; PORTUGUESE: Lac; ITALIAN: Lotto; WELSH: Lleu (Llew).